Le Pen left furious as French far-right splinters

"I call that the strategy of the slug, not only because the slug is slow but because it's also sticky," she said.

French far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen has likened a one-time close supporter to a "slug", accusing him of sabotage as a series of defections rattle her party with elections looming.

Ms. Le Pen's National Rally (RN) announced late Tuesday it had suspended former vice president Nicolas Bay, accusing him in a statement of "sabotage", "duplicity" and "behaviour unworthy of the trust placed in him".

Mr. Bay's alleged crime was passing on confidential information about Ms. Le Pen's campaign to her rival Eric Zemmour, with the incident serving to highlight the increasingly bitter split in the anti-immigration wing of French politics.